Aberrant Ecologies

Published January 17, 2023

For the Spring 2021 Ecological Practices intellectual domain seminar, students explored and analyzed "undesired" natures within their city, identifying "aberrant ecologies." Students worked through methods of analog making to investigate these instances and rediscover them as opportunities for natural growth in the built environment. They paired photographs of their natural environment with their own artworks to prompt questions around how nature participates with the city in unexpected ways.

Gwyneth Harris explored the methodology of collage to depict how the artificial environment shapes and coerces the natural world. Harris explored how nature reacts to the built environment and how the natural environment may leave impressions upon the built environment. This work aims to decontextualize observations to interpret these relationships of nature and artifice at different scales and encourages an ephemeral take on the subject. The student intentionally brings recognition to patterns within the built and organic environments, which suggests that they may influence the decisions of designers to better integrate and accommodate urban nature in the built environment.

Sangeetha Othayoth examined the human relationship with, or dominance over, the natural environment. Othayoth analyzed how human decisions affect nature and therefore our psychological, emotional and physical well-being. However, these observations bring to light that humans may not be the one with the power, as nature is resilient and able to sustain and thrive without human intervention. Othayoth worked through drawing to convey empathy towards the natural environment to the viewer. Through the work, they characterize and humanize trees and shrubs to unveil the psychological effects humans have on nature. Othayoth hopes to inspire those looking at the work and at nature to feel sympathy for nature when considering the harm that the built environment and human intervention may have on existing conditions

Collages and drawings made by Gwyneth Harris.